During the Weimar Republic, the Reichstag was a legislative body in Germany. After the Nazi takeover, it became purely a ceremonial assembly.
The Reichstag
Fact of the Day
The man who built the town stocks in Boston, Massachusetts charged so much that he became the first man to be put in them.
Quote of the Day
"I have taken great care not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.
"
~ Baruch Spinoza
On This Day
1536 Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII and Elizabeth Blount, died of 'consumption' aged 17 (some sources state he died on 22 July).
1840 The Province of Canada was created by the Act of Union. In combining the predominantly British Upper Canada with the French Lower Canada, it was hoped it would reduce French influence through assimilation.
1903 The Ford Motor Company sold its first ever car, a Model A.
1914 Representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Empire issued the Serbian government with an ultimatum after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Demands included their own investigation, censorship of educational material and the press, and the abolition of certain organisations. Unsurprisingly, Serbia could not accept all of the ultimatum without being humiliated, leading to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on 28 July.
1942 The SS Treblinka extermination camp was opened in Poland. Up to 900,000 Jews were killed there.
1962 Communications satellite Telstar relayed the first live transatlantic programme to viewers' homes.
